Forest Hill Church plans events for Black History Month

February is Black History Month and, for the third consecutive year, members of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, at 3031 Monticello Blvd. in Cleveland Heights, have organized events for each weekend of the month that they say are designed to “educate ourselves, strengthen our ties with one another and stir our souls.” All events are open to the public.

On Sunday, Feb. 2, from 12:30–2 p.m., the PBS documentary “The World of Hip-Hop” will be shown. Following the screening, Nobles C. Darby IV, youth pastor at New Spirit Revival Center, will lead a discussion of the film and the issues it raises. A light lunch will be provided. 

On Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m., “Beasts of the Southern Wild” will be shown. This feature film was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2013. Participants are invited to watch the movie and engage in fellowship and discussion.

Participate in a community dialogue on ways to re-imagine a more welcoming and inclusive Fellowship Hall on Sunday, Feb. 16, from 12:30–2 p.m. A light lunch will be provided.

A discussion of the book The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23, 12:30–2 p.m. A light lunch will be provided.

Praised by historians, legal scholars and journalists, the book directly challenges the notion that the presidency of Barack Obama signals a new era of colorblindness. With amazing candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.”

By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, writes Alexander, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control—relegating millions to a permanent second-class status, even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness. Hailed as a “call to action” by Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, this is a book and discussion that shouldn’t be missed.

For more information about the church's events for Black History Month, call 216-321-2660 or e-mail vikkinowak@gmail.com.

Vikki Nowak

Vikki Nowak is a resident of Cleveland Heights, member of Forest Hill Church and serves on the Black History Month committee.

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Volume 7, Issue 2, Posted 10:49 AM, 01.28.2014